Nevada Humane Society in need of foster families

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) -This time of year, the Nevada Humane Society sees an increased demand in the need for foster families. Everyday new litters of dogs and kittens come in and often the shelter is not the best place for them. That’s where fosters, like mother-daughter duo Angie Balettie and Lizzy Byrd come in.

They have been fostering for three years and have quickly proven how invaluable they are; stepping in when no one else will.

“Even though we haven’t been doing it very long we’ve been very passionate about it,” Balettie said.

So passionate that in that time they have fostered more than 130 animals.

“They just come and go, so quickly, especially during the summer season, and we were not keeping count” Balettie said. “And so I was just blown away by the number.”

Greg Hall, CEO of the Nevada Humane Society says Baletti and Byrd are critical to their mission.

“They have just this unbelievable drive and their enthusiasm is contagious, and I think it’s part of the mother-daughter dynamic that they bring.”

It was actually 13-year-old Lizzy who signed her family up.

“Being able to even be hands on at, you know, such a young age, is I think it really important for those younger kids to be able to learn how to properly care for an animal,” she said.

As for Balettie, she says fostering is a great compromise if parents have a little one at home begging for a pet.

“Absolutely it’s a great way to be introduced...in fact we advocate a lot of kids that want bunnies or guinea pigs, we say, why don’t you foster? And then after about 30 days to a month when they’re ready to come back you can decide was this difficult? Was it worth having? Am I ready to do this? So it’s kind of like, you can wet your toes.”

Byrd will be the first to tell you that fostering is not always easy, but it’s worth it in the end.

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, and there is a lot of dirt and grime involved,” she said. “Sometimes, you know, you do have to clean up after them sometimes they have accidents and sometimes they do, they do fall sick, and that is, I think, scary to some people. But it’s not as scary as you think, and knowing that we’ve done our part and now they’re going to go on to their next chapter of their lives in a home that is going to take such good care of them is so rewarding.”

To learn more about becoming a foster, click on the link below.

Copyright 2020 KOLO. All rights reserved.